- Smith tells senators he won’t ‘be silenced’ by Trump’s threats of prosecution
Source: WTOP News
“Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who brought two federal indictments against President Donald Trump, told lawmakers on Tuesday that he ‘will not be silenced by continued threats of prosecution’ from the Trump administration and that he believes the rule of law is being threatened like never before. Smith also told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he stands behind the criminal cases he brought against Trump, a Republican, and that he and his team acted without regard to politics. … Republicans sought to cast the prosecution as a political fishing expedition, accusing Smith of bending ordinary procedures in an overzealous pursuit of the president.” (09/29/26)
- NYC: Judge orders Mamdani to redo second-home tax rollout
Source: Fox News
“New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday quickly appealed a judge’s decision to cancel previously mailed notices for his second-home tax, triggering an automatic stay of the ruling. ‘The auto stay allows the city to continue, as we have been, with the implementation of the pied-a-terre surcharge and puts the lower court’s order on pause,’ a city official said. Just hours earlier, Judge Wayne Ozzi found that the city failed to follow required procedures before mailing the notices, which he described as ‘arbitrary and capricious, affected by errors of law, and in violation of the recipients’ due process rights,’ according to the ruling. Despite the ruling, Ozzi noted that the policy itself could still survive. He said the city can still apply the tax by removing the current list of taxed properties from its website and posting a corrected list after following the proper procedures.” (09/29/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nyc-judge-orders-mamdani-redo-second-home-tax-rollout
- CDC reports two measles deaths in US as cases hit 35-year high
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed two measles-related deaths from the 3,659 confirmed cases this year, the highest number of cases in 35 years. The CDC did not specify on Tuesday in which states the deaths occurred. However, Pennsylvania has been hardest hit by the outbreak with more than 900 reported cases. The preventable disease was declared eliminated in the US in 2000 but has made an aggressive comeback in recent years, which some have linked to a rise in vaccine scepticism.” (09/29/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/29/cdc-reports-two-measles-deaths-us-as-cases-hit-35-year-high
- Moody’s: India’s aging population set to reshape economy as fertility falls below replacement
Source: mint [India]
“India is likely to have a much older population later this century as its age structure begins to shift after fertility fell below the replacement level, Moody’s Ratings said in a report on Tuesday. Although India’s population remains relatively young, the country’s fertility rate has fallen below replacement, and its age structure is beginning to change, setting the stage for a much older population in the coming decades, Moody’s said. Countries experiencing the steepest fertility declines are likely to age most rapidly, it added.” (09/29/26)
- US forces set to leave Iraq after first invading/occupying in 2003
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“U.S. forces are set to pull out from their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday, a departure celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies, who now have deep influence in the country where 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of war. Iraqi security experts say the withdrawal — agreed in 2024 under President Joe Biden and carried out by Donald Trump’s administration even as it wages war against Iran — could give Tehran and its powerful allies free rein, while also allowing other U.S. enemies to stage a comeback, including Islamic State. … While the eventual departure of U.S. forces is broadly popular among Iraqis, those who worry about the strength of the Iran-backed groups fear the withdrawal is premature.” (09/29/26)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/iraq-us-forces-withrdrawal-9.7362428
- Guinea-Bissau: Embalo to Run in December Election, Source Says
Source: US News & World Report
“Deposed Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo plans to return to the country on October 4 to run for the presidency in an election scheduled for December, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Embalo was toppled in a military coup last November, shortly before results from presidential and legislative elections were due to be announced. Senior army officers suspended the electoral process and installed Major-General Horta Inta-a as transitional president. … Embalo’s campaign organisation has not yet been finalised, one source close to Embalo said, adding that the military-led government had assured the former president that he is ‘welcome’ to return. A government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.” (09/29/26)
- Mystery over suspected bomb scare at UK airbase after reports no explosives found
Source: euronews [EU]
“A UK probe into a suspected bomb plot at an airbase used by the United States was mired in confusion on Tuesday, after media reported no explosives were detected in the vehicles seized nearby. … Police have said officers conducted an extensive examination of the vehicles with the help of ‘military assets’ and forensic experts. They did not disclose their findings. But The Times newspaper and several other UK media outlets have reported that police found no traces of explosives, easing fears that an attack had been foiled but leaving many questions unanswered. A resident in the neighbouring village of Kempsford, Patricia told the AFP news agency it was ‘very embarrassing that people around the world thought it was a terrorist attack but in the end no, it’s a lot of noise for nothing.'” (09/29/26)
- Trump rules out joint US-China venture to develop AI
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“US President Donald Trump has ruled out any sort of joint venture with China in artificial intelligence (AI), arguing it would be tantamount to ‘giving away secrets’ to America’s main economic rival. Speaking at an event in Washington on Tuesday, Trump again argued against putting any restrictions on the technology that would stifle growth in the future, despite mounting public concern. Following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the White House last week, Beijing and Washington announced the launch of a new AI dialogue, with further talks scheduled for November. The two countries also established a new communications channel to prevent misunderstandings during AI-related incidents. During Tuesday’s event marking the launch of America.gov – a new AI-powered website designed to streamline government services – Trump argued the US is ‘leading by a lot’ in the AI sector and does not want to ‘mix it up’ with potential competitors.” (09/29/26)
- Shell backs $23 billion LNG Canada expansion in boost to Carney’s ‘energy superpower’ push
Source: CNBC
“A consortium led by British oil giant Shell is moving forward with expansion plans on its flagship liquefied natural gas project (LNG) in Canada, in a major boost to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s ambition to make the country an ‘energy superpower.’ Shell said in a statement on Tuesday that it had reached a final investment decision to double production capacity at the LNG Canada project in Kitimat, British Columbia, to roughly 28 million metric tons per annum (mtpa), up from 14 mtpa. Shell leads the LNG Canada project with a 40% stake. The joint venture also has the backing of Malaysia’s Petronas, China’s PetroChina, Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp and South Korea’s state-owned Korea Gas Corp.” (09/29/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/29/shell-canada-lng-carney-oil-gas-energy.html
- MS: Attorney general won’t seek new trial for officer in fatal shooting of black motorist
Source: SFGate
“Mississippi’s attorney general said she will not retry a police officer after jurors failed to reach a verdict on a manslaughter charge stemming from the fatal shooting of a [b]lack motorist. Jurors on Monday deadlocked on the charge against Mississippi Capitol Police officer Michael Rhinewalt and acquitted a second Capitol police officer, Steven Frederick, who was also charged with manslaughter in the September 2022 shooting of 25-year-old Jaylen Lewis. The case has raised questions about policing in the majority-[b]lack city of Jackson and prompted a lawsuit from Lewis’ mom. The two officers who shot Lewis are both white. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office, which prosecuted the two officers, said in a statement that it ‘followed the process’ and will not pursue a new trial against Rhinewalt.” (09/29/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/mississippi-attorney-general-won-t-seek-a-new-22454610.php
- US Senate, with nothing of any importance to do, passes rules for college sports
Source: United Press International
“The U.S. Senate on Monday night passed a bipartisan bill establishing national rules for college sports that would give schools and athletic associations greater legal protection to enforce limits on athlete compensation while expanding medical and scholarship protections for athletes. The bill, known as the Protect College Sports Act, passed in a 77-22 vote and will go to the House for consideration. … The bill would give schools and athletic associations limited protection from antitrust lawsuits when enforcing specified rules, preempt certain state rules on NIL, transfers and eligibility and permit a voluntary arrangement to pool and sell some broadcast rights.” (09/29/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/09/29/Senate-college-sports-bill/3251790656632/
- Hegseth to double cuts to generals, admirals in major Pentagon shakeup
Source: Fox News
“[Defense] Secretary Pete Hegseth will announce plans to reduce by 20% the number of positions reserved for generals and admirals during his State of the Force address on Wednesday. Hegseth approved reduction plans for the Army, Navy, Air Force and the military’s joint pool earlier this month, according to memos seen by Fox News Digital. The services were directed to implement the plans and complete the reductions by Jan. 1, 2027. Wednesday’s address in Quantico, Va. is expected to lay out Hegseth’s priorities for the military in the year ahead, with the reduction in senior leadership positions among the changes he will unveil.” (09/29/26)
- Argentina’s Milei threatens legal action over Falklands oil project
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Argentinian President Javier Milei has threatened the British government with legal action unless it stops an oil project off the disputed Falkland Islands, the British-administered territory over which Buenos Aires claims sovereignty. Milei gave the United Kingdom a two-week ultimatum on Monday evening, saying it must halt all work on the Sea Lion oil project or Argentina will ask the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, a maritime court in Hamburg, Germany, to order a stop to the project. … The UK rejects Argentina’s sovereignty claim, arguing that the islanders have the right to determine their own future and develop their natural resources.” (09/29/26)
- Spain: Regime announces ban on evictions after protests over 87-year-old woman’s removal from flat
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Spain’s coalition government has approved new housing measures following protests over the country’s housing crisis, sparked by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her home in Madrid last week. Ministers met on Tuesday to discuss the proposals, which include a ban on evictions until 2030. Announcing the measures, Health Minister Mónica García said they would bring relief to more than five million people – but opposition politician Míriam Nogueras said the agreement left ‘small landlords out in the cold’. The proposals (which have been presented in the form of two decrees) come into effect immediately, but must be approved by Congress within a month, although the government hopes to hold the vote as soon as this Friday. Pedro Sánchez’s leftist coalition government lacks a majority in parliament and has struggled to get right-leaning parties to approve previous decrees.” (09/29/26)
- Florida set to execute 77-year-old man convicted of 1995 murder
Source: SFGate
“A 77-year-old Florida man convicted of beating a woman to death with a hammer is scheduled Tuesday to become the 16th person executed this year in the nation’s busiest death chamber. Curtis Wilkie Beasley was sentenced to death after being convicted of first-degree murder, robbery and grand theft auto in a 1995 attack on Carolyn Monfort. The Florida Supreme Court last week rejected appeals that executing a man his age who is suffering from cognitive decline would amount to cruel and unusual punishment. Beasley, who would become Florida’s seventh prisoner over the age of 70 to be executed this year, is set to receive a three-drug injection at the state prison starting at 6 p.m.” (09/29/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/florida-is-set-to-execute-a-77-year-old-man-22453871.php
- Mistrial declared in Trayon White federal bribery trial
Source: United Press International
“A jury deliberating on a federal bribery charge against Trayon White, a Washington, D.C., councilmember, could not come to a unanimous decision, leading to a mistrial Monday. The jury, eight women and four women, told U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras that they could not agree on a decision after four days of deliberations. A meeting will take place after Oct. 14 to what happens next. … White was allegedly shown on video accepting envelopes full of cash from business owner Allieu Kamara, who reportedly said he wanted the favor of D.C. officials. White was arrested in August 2024. White and his defense attorney said that there was no crime: that White accepted money but that it was not a bribe and there was no quid pro quo. Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for D.C., said she plans to retry the case.” (09/28/26)
- From motorcycles to booze, US ban on $1 billion worth of Canadian imports goes into effect
Source: SFGate
“U.S.-Canada relations, already tense, are likely to deteriorate further after the United States went ahead early Tuesday with a decision to ban nearly $1 billion worth of Canadian imports, including alcoholic beverages, dairy products and motorcycles. The ban amounts to barely a ripple in $880 billion worth of annual two-way trade between the two northern neighbors. But it marks another ratcheting up of President Donald Trump’s second-term trade war with America’s longtime ally and trading partner. … The latest sparring began over the summer when Trump reached back to a Great Depression law to impose 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian imports, charging that Canada discriminates against U.S. dairy, auto and alcoholic beverage producers. Canada promptly counterpunched with tariffs of 15%, 25% or 50%, matching U.S. imports dollar for dollar.” (09/29/26)
- Block US sanctions on ICC, EU lawmakers tell Commission
Source: Politico
“EU lawmakers are calling for the Commission to forbid European firms and banks from applying U.S. sanctions, as Washington weighs sanctioning the International Criminal Court over its actions concerning Israel. The U.S. has already targeted nine of the court’s judges and four prosecutors since the Netherlands-based institution issued a warrant for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. ‘To protect its values, [the EU] needs to protect the ICC and the people who work there. It means … activating the blocking statute,’ said Dutch lawmaker Dirk Gotink of the center-right European People’s Party after a closed-door meeting of the economy committee on Monday evening.” (09/28/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/block-us-sanctions-on-the-icc-eu-lawmakers-tell-commission
- SpaceX brings Starship home early after first orbital flight
Source: Axios
“SpaceX’s next-generation Starship rocket came back to Earth earlier than planned after its first orbital flight Monday, with an explosion visible on the company’s livestream just after touchdown in the Pacific Ocean. … Starship launched from South Texas just before 9 a.m. ET on a planned test flight of about 10 hours. It was set to orbit Earth about six times before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, west of Chile. But SpaceX decided to bring it back to Earth after only about 3 hours. As part of the mission, Starship deployed 26 of the company’s new, better-performing Starlink V3 internet satellites. The cause of the apparent explosion was not immediately clear, and the company didn’t offer any details.” (09/28/26)
https://www.axios.com/2026/09/28/spacex-starship-orbital-flight
- Saudi Arabia resumes oil exports via East-West pipeline
Source: Al Arabiya [Saudi state media]
“Saudi Arabia has resumed oil exports through the main pipeline extending from the east to the west of the Kingdom. According to Bloomberg, state-run Saudi Aramco was last week testing the East-West pipeline and building pressure, with the aim of resuming meaningful flows by the weekend, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named because the information is not public. The resumption will restore Saudi Arabia’s access to the alternative export route that it had been using during the Iran war, even as the Kingdom has ramped up shipments through the Strait of Hormuz this month.” (09/28/26)
- People Eventually Get Tired of Eating Crap Sandwiches
Source: The Erick Erickson Show
by Erick-Woods Erickson“Both parties can count on their base. The most loyal Republicans will turn out for anyone with an R beside his name, and the most loyal Democrats will do the same for a D. No party wins with its base alone, though. Most Americans are not party loyalists, and that includes plenty of people who vote in Republican and Democratic primaries. … Those voters, along with the independents who only vote in general elections, decide elections. The parties keep insulting them. Both sides serve up a crap sandwich of a candidate, point across the aisle at the other side’s crap sandwich, and insist you have to eat theirs because the other one is worse. It is no longer a choice between the lesser of two evils. It is a choice between the evils of two lessers, and voters are getting tired of it.” (09/29/26)
https://ewerickson.substack.com/p/people-eventually-get-tired-of-eating
- ‘Market Humanism’ Renames an Old Economic Insight: Cooperation
Source: The Daily Economy
by Paul Schwennesen“A new book suggests a modern marketing label for classical liberal ideas: individuals acting in markets are engines of human flourishing.” (09/29/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/market-humanism-renames-an-old-economic-insight-cooperation/
- The AI revolution will go wherever there’s electricity, and China knows it
Source: Fox News Forum
by Robert C O’Brien“Despite the recent surge in AI doomerism, President Donald Trump is right to maintain his strong support for data centers. As he notes: ‘China couldn’t be happier’ if we were to turn our backs on these centers as a nation, which would effectively let the Chinese Communist Party win the AI race. As Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in July, ‘The country that leads in artificial intelligence in the coming years and decades ahead will be the global superpower’. Victory means capturing trillions of dollars in national wealth, securing an advantage in military technology and gaining enormous leverage in international affairs. An energy bottleneck could pose a serious risk to America’s AI lead. We need data centers to train and run top-tier AI models, and those centers need a lot of electricity.” (09/29/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/ai-revolution-will-go-wherever-theres-electricity-china-knows-it
- Trump Deserves to Be Impeached
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger“Trump deserves impeachment for knowingly, deliberately, and intentionally committing high crimes or misdemeanors — (1) the waging of war without a congressional declaration of war and (2) ordering the killing of people on the high seas without according them due process of law. Why should presidents be given a pass to ignore that higher law that we the people have imposed on them, especially since they and other federal officials don’t give us a pass on the need to comply with the laws that they impose on us?” (09/29/26)
- In the national divorce, Democrats are getting the free-market
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz“For almost a century, Republicans claimed to be the party of economic growth. They accused Democrats of being the party of communists, socialists, and managed decline. That’s changing. As Republicans increasingly embrace economic interventionism, nationalization, and trade restrictions they are, increasingly, managing American decline. Meanwhile Democrats are picking up the mantle of economic growth, dynamism, and the American Dream.” (09/29/26)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/in-the-national-divorce-democrats
- The Swiss take a stand on neutrality
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff“Countries that try to stay impartial in international disputes are having a tough go these days. That’s also true for countries that serve as trusted interlocutors or simply provide safe venues for adversaries to talk. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine along with U.S. President Donald Trump’s high tariffs on friendly nations and his war with Iran have forced a reckoning of the meaning of diplomatic or military neutrality. On Sunday, the country that epitomized neutrality for centuries, Switzerland, added some clarity to its identity as an icon of evenhandedness. In a referendum, more than two-thirds of Swiss voters rejected a proposal to enshrine ‘perpetual and armed neutrality’ in the country’s constitution.” (09/28/26)
- Reflections on Simon Hankinson
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan“Debating immigration with an unusual gentleman.” (09/29/26)
- Censorship has no place in the people’s house
Source: Expression
by Jacob Gaba“President Trump’s attempt to ban of CNN, MS Now, and Politico is his most direct attack on free speech.” (09/29/26)
https://expression.fire.org/p/censorship-has-no-place-in-the-peoples
- Mamdani’s brilliant economic Rx: More government jobs
Source: New York Post
by staff“Bringing his socialist economic chops to fix New York City’s stagnant-to-sluggish jobs growth, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new solution is to hire more government employees. His always-busy press office and Maoist ‘mass engagement’ cadres announced Monday a new Jobs NYC Center, a ‘hub connecting New Yorkers to careers in public service’. Citywide unemployment as of August was 4.8%, about a fifth higher than the national average of 4.1%. Mamdani’s hate-the-rich, capitalism bad rhetoric hasn’t helped: Finance — which provides the tax revenue to fuel Gotham’s lavish social spending — has been reducing jobs in the city for long decades; these days job growth in financial services comes almost exclusively in lower-tax, business-friendly cities and states. In the last year, the city added a measly 27,600 jobs to its private-sector workforce of 4.2 million — nearly all of them home-health aide work, which is mostly funded by Medicaid.” (09/29/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/09/29/opinion/mamdanis-brilliant-economic-rx-more-government-jobs/
- The Beclowning of Scott Bessent
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman“One iron law of current politics is that nobody who associates themselves with Donald Trump emerges with a shred of credibility. For some, that’s not a big loss — it’s not as if anyone respected Pete Hegseth even before he decided that the key to military success in an age of drones and AI was more testosterone. For others, however, the costs are real. I’m old enough to remember when Marco Rubio was widely considered a reasonable, thoughtful politician. Right now, however, my candidate for the biggest loser is Scott Bessent, the Secretary of the Treasury.” (09/29/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-beclowning-of-scott-bessent
- The Need for Statesmanship
Source: Law & Liberty
by Timothy Fuller“Steven B. Smith’s newest book shows that it may take the virtues of leaders like Lincoln to save the liberal order.” (09/29/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/the-need-for-statesmanship/
- I Was A Delegate in 2008. The Libertarian Party is About to Repeat It
Source: Jake Porter’s Analysis & Investigations
by Jake Porter“Rand Paul told Newsmax on September 23 that he’s considering a 2028 presidential run and will weigh the midterms before deciding. Libertarian leaning Thomas Massie’s name circulates as a potential Republican contender. And the Libertarian Party (LP), which locked in a February 2028 nominating convention in El Paso, Texas, has inadvertently built the perfect scenario for chaos. I know, because I was a delegate in 2008 when we were saved from a similar situation by having a convention in May after most of the primaries were over.” (09/29/26)
https://jakeporter.substack.com/p/i-was-a-delegate-in-2008-the-libertarian
- AI Won’t Solve Humanity’s Problems; Our Problems Aren’t Caused By Lack Of Intelligence
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“I hate it when people say humanity’s problems will be solved by ‘artificial superintelligence’ as though all we need to fix the cruelty and abusiveness in our world is an AI that is smarter than a human. … [Mark Zuckerberg] said the following in a statement titled ‘The Future is for Everyone — The Path to a Positive AI Future’: ‘In the next few years, people will be able to use superintelligence beyond human capacity to create and discover extraordinary new things, build new businesses, express new ideas, learn new concepts, and advance our health and quality of life. As we get closer to this moment, it is important to develop a philosophy for how we can best use superintelligence to ensure it improves all of our lives, work, communities, freedom and safety.'” (09/29/26)
- Money supply and the 1930’s Economic Depression
Source: Cobden Centre
by Frank Shostak“With the increase in the aggregate demand, it is held,the aggregate supply will follow suit. We hold that this is questionable. One has to produce something useful first before demanding things. It is not possible to increase something out of nothing. Without an expanding subsistence fund that enables the enhancement of the infrastructure, it is not possible to increase the supply of goods and services and in turn the demand. The illusion that through the monetary pumping it is possible to keep the economy going is shattered once the subsistence fund begins to decline. Once this happens, the economy starts its downward plunge.” (09/29/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/09/money-supply-and-the-1930s-economic-depression/
- Yes, the Iran War Has Destroyed Trump’s Presidency
Source: The American Conservative
by Andrew Day“No one would claim that the Iran War has been a political godsend for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. But some Israel-First conservatives are willing to say—and lately have been incessantly saying—that the Iran War hasn’t been a political scourge. Those Israel-First conservatives are wrong, even if the devil is, at least partly, hidden in the details. The Iran War has damaged Trump’s approval ratings, consumed his presidency, and darkened the GOP’s prospects in the upcoming midterm elections.” (09/29/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/yes-the-iran-war-has-destroyed-trumps-presidency/
- Is Neoliberalism to Blame for America’s Health Care Woes?
Source: Washington Monthly
by Merrill Goozner“Horror stories about private equity-owned hospitals are part of a deeper trend, a new book argues.” (09/29/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/09/29/is-neoliberalism-to-blame-for-americas-health-care-woes/
- Trump is using your money to lie about his presidency
Source: USA Today
by Sara Pequeño“President Donald Trump isn’t trying to hide the propaganda arm of his administration. In fact, he’s using taxpayer dollars to do it. In two new ads funded by the government, the president has rallied against the perceived communist takeover of the United States. The first ad literally uses a song with a choir in the background reciting the verse ‘Love me.’ ‘Together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America,’ Trump says in a voiceover as the words flash across the screen. In the second ad, Trump declares that we are in the midst of the ‘final battle’ against the ‘deep state.’ Both ads almost certainly violate the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from politicking, as well as other federal laws.” (09/29/26)
- Justices’ Investments Should Be Blind: Alito Controversy Raises Persistent SCOTUS Problem
Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley“Yesterday, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito recused himself from one of the term’s most important cases: Suncor Energy Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County. As I have previously discussed, the case involving the liability of energy companies for nuisance actions tied to climate change could have sweeping implications for the country. Justice Alito should be commended for avoiding even the appearance of a personal interest or a conflict in the case. However, the controversy should prompt the Court to explore a longstanding problem for justices in holding financial interests that can conflict with their duties. The solution is simple: justices need to use blind trusts. Supreme Court Clerk Scott Harris released a letter revealing that Alito decided he ‘will not continue to participate’ in Suncor Energy Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County.” (09/29/26)
- Against the New Romantics
Source: Law & Liberty
by Josh Appel“Romanticism has its attractions, but it is unsuited for the political moment in which we find ourselves.” (09/29/26)
- Why Observational Studies Lie to You
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Alan Cassels“What is the Healthy User Bias? It’s embarrassingly simple. In observational studies—where researchers merely watch what people do in the real world rather than running an experiment—the people who voluntarily take preventive drugs or pop daily supplements are fundamentally different from those who don’t. No surprise there, right? On average, ‘healthy users’ are wealthier, better educated, and more health-obsessed. They are seriously more obedient when it comes to vaccines (including the Covid vaccine). These sorts of people want to do the best they can within their powers, which includes things that involve some friction: they eat organic kale, jog at dawn, wear seatbelts, don’t smoke, and visit their doctors regularly. They love tests of all kinds. A 2006 meta-analysis quantified the healthy user effect (which they called the healthy adherer effect) across 21 studies. What they found is mind-blowing in its implications.” (09/29/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/why-observational-studies-lie-to-you/
- What Zohran Mamdani Could Learn From His Father
Source: The Daily Economy
by Peter Jacobsen‘Mahmood Mamdani’s research showed why people often don’t behave the way central planners wish they would. His son faces a similar test in New York.” (09/29/260
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/what-zohran-mamdani-could-learn-from-his-father/
- ‘Let’s go, Brandon’? We’re still fighting for students’ right to say it.
Source: Washington Post
by Conor Fitzpatrick“In October 2021, an NBC sports reporter misheard a vulgar chant, ‘F— Joe Biden,’ as ‘Let’s go, Brandon’ while interviewing Brandon Brown after a NASCAR race in Alabama. The misunderstanding caught on, and conservatives, including members of Congress in official floor speeches, began to use the line. That Christmas, a mother in Newaygo County, Michigan, bought sweatshirts bearing the phrase for her two sons. When they wore the gifts to class, however, their assistant principal demanded that they change. Refusal to do so — a supposed violation of the dress code’s provision on profanity — risked punishment, including suspension. Good grief.” (09/29/26)
- When War Crimes Become Normal: The Price of Impunity
Source: Common Dreams
by Barzin Jafartash Amiri“On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, the United States military struck a home in the town of Kuhestak, in Sirik County, southern Iran, where a wedding was underway, killing four people and wounding more than 50. The youngest victim was 4-year-old Amir Ali Karimi. Asked about the strike, US Vice President JD Vance told reporters: ‘What I can say with 100% confidence is that, unlike the IRGC, the United States never targets civilians in combat. We never will do that. We never have done that.’ … It’s worth remembering that the campaign the United States and Israel waged against Iran … opened with a strike on the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader that killed him along with his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and his 14-month-old granddaughter. Roughly an hour or two later, the US struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab with Tomahawk cruise missiles, killing 156 people, including 120 schoolchildren …” (09/29/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/no-more-impunity-for-war-crimes
- This all seems a little swift to be honest
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall“The vicissitudes of age lead to entry into a care home in October last year, death occurs in February. Probate granted in early September this year and the house sale set up to go through the day after probate is granted. It does so. That’s 11 months of an empty house. Well, other than children turning up to then visit in the care home etc. That’s a house potentially at risk of seizure by the local council. Is that what is actually desired? That such a thing is even possible? No, leave aside how likely it is as yet – power taken by government is power that will be used by government.” (09/29/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/this-all-seems-a-little-swift-to-be-honest
- The True Meaning of Russia’s Sham Election
Source: Foreign Policy
by Alxeander Baunov“What passes for elections in Russia these days bears little resemblance to any recognizably democratic process. Opposition figures are jailed, exiled, or dead. Remaining candidates are carefully screened. In Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, ballots are cast at gunpoint. Some precincts’ vote tallies are mathematically impossible, and most Russians know that the outcome is predetermined. But in a dictatorship, even a rigged election has meaning. What matters is not the predictable victory declared by the ruling party, United Russia, following the Sept. 18-20 parliamentary elections but the signals that this completely orchestrated piece of political theater sends across Russia and to the world. The first signal is the illusion of legitimacy.” (09/29/26)
- How Conflicting Interpretations of Dred Scott undermine State Sovereignty
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Wanjiru Njoya“If a judge could rule that state law in one state—or indeed five states—constitutes federal law governing all states, that would also be a recipe for judicial chaos. For example, by Curtis’s reasoning, the Southern states which have now banned abortion would be able to get federal courts to enforce that ban on Massachusetts, a state which permits abortion at any time until birth. One could, following Bass’s own reasoning, argue that the dissenting judges ‘ignored’ the fact that the doctrine of state sovereignty is particularly relevant and important on matters where the law differs between states. Examples abound of matters on which states strongly disagree, and which could similarly test the limits of state sovereignty and the legitimacy of federal intervention.” (09/29/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/how-conflicting-interpretations-dred-scott-undermine-state-sovereignty
- Can You Help “Bob” Avoid Imprisonment and Torture?
Source: Waste No More Time
by Nicholas Sarwark“An update on the campaign to save a political scientist from an authoritarian country from being imprisoned and tortured for attending the Libertarian National Convention.” (09/28/26)
https://nsarwark.substack.com/p/can-you-help-bob-avoid-imprisonment
- Where’s the “Progress?”
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis“‘Man will become immeasurably stronger, wiser, and subtler. His body will become more harmonized, his movements more rhythmic, his voice more musical, the forms of life will become dynamically dramatic. The average human type will rise to the heights of an Aristotle, a Goethe, or a Marx. And above these heights, new peaks will rise.’ — Leon Trotsky … Those have got to be among the most idiotic words I have ever read in my life. Any quarter-witted human being, looking at the history of our species, who thinks that man is ‘progressing towards perfection’, that the average ‘human type’ in the future will be an Aristotle, Goethe, or (heaven forbid) a Marx, is … missing something upstairs. And yet, leftists today, in America and around the globe, believe they can bring this ‘perfection’ into existence. … In fact, I see the exact opposite.” (09/29/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/09/29/wheres-the-progress-n2683736
- Remember Who You Are, Liberal
Source: Liberal Currents
by Samantha Hancox-Li“Has liberalism run out of steam? After the second election of Donald Trump, it sure felt that way. MAGA was ascendant. A new, muscular, vigorous, cruel energy had taken over America, and it was our task to just adapt ourselves to this fact. Even as resistance to Trump built on the ground, elite liberals felt at sea. Maybe Charlie Kirk was doing politics the right way.” (09/28/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/remember-who-you-are-liberal/
- Remembering the False Gloom & Doom of the 1992 Elections, and the Upcoming Midterms
Source: American Greatness
by Victor Davis Hanson“In 1992, Bill Clinton won the presidential election partly on the basis of his campaign’s false accusation that George H. W. Bush had overseen ‘the worst economic performance since the Great Depression’. Or so claimed Clinton’s running mate Al Gore. James Carville, chief campaign adviser to Clinton/Gore, amplified that message with the constant refrain: ‘It’s the economy, stupid!’ That strategy worked for three reasons: First, third-party candidate Ross Perot siphoned off nearly 19 percent of the vote. Most of his supporters would otherwise likely have gone to Bush. Perot allowed Clinton to win with a mere 43 percent of the popular vote, in part by echoing the false narrative of a crushing Bush recession. Second, the brilliant Bush campaign strategist Lee Atwater, who had virtually destroyed the Dukakis campaign in 1988 (remember the tank ad, the Boston Harbor ad, and the Willie Horton ad?) had died in 1991 at the age of 40 from a brain tumor.” (09/29/26)
- We Had First Flock, Yes, But What About Second Flock?
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Alan Mosley“The 1998 action thriller Enemy of the State (RIP Gene Hackman) imagined a world in which government surveillance could follow an ordinary citizen almost anywhere, drawing on cameras, communications data, and increasingly sophisticated technology to monitor his movements. What once played as an exaggerated warning about the surveillance state now looks considerably less exotic. Some of today’s most consequential surveillance infrastructure is far less dramatic than the machinery of a Hollywood thriller. Instead of hidden trackers in your buttons and shoes, you instead have cameras mounted on utility poles, quietly recording your every move.” (09/29/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/we-had-first-flock-yes-but-what-about-second-flock
- Do Democrats have bold enough ideas to break from the past?
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Sam Fraser & William Hartung“With Trump’s overall polling numbers cratering, Democrats appear to have a decisive advantage in November’s midterms. Yet this has not translated into a lead in foreign affairs, where polling suggests the two parties are essentially tied. This reality may stem from the fact that, while Democrats have correctly lambasted the president’s actions abroad, the party — and especially its top leadership — has yet to articulate a vision for U.S. foreign policy that reckons with how Trump’s two terms have changed the world and America’s role in it.” (09/28/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/democratic-party-foreign-policy/
- Congratulations, You’re a Trump Campaign Donor
Source: The Bulwark
by Will Saletan“As Americans struggle to pay for gas, groceries, and other necessities, Donald Trump has found a new use for their tax dollars: promoting himself and his party in the midterms. In the last week, the Trump administration has spent more than $1.7 million in federal funds to run three ads on TV, including on Fox News during primetime, on a Sunday-morning political show, and on NFL games. The White House calls these videos ‘public service announcements.’ In reality, they’re obvious campaign ads. And Trump, through taxation and unauthorized spending, is forcing Americans to pay for them.” (09/28/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/congratulations-youre-a-trump-campaign-donor-propaganda-ads-white-house
- Why Is Sam Altman a Free Man?
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen“One of the signature public service announcements of my youth was created by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America in 1987. A father finds a stash of pot and confronts his son: ‘Who taught you how to do this stuff?’ ‘You, all right!’ the kid snaps back. ‘I learned it by watching you!’ I am bound by the AP Stylebook to not anthropomorphize artificial intelligence. But I can imagine these very words being uttered by the agents that hacked Hugging Face, or the models that engaged in tens of thousands of incidents of, in the new euphemism of the time, ‘misalignment’. This refers to AI stepping beyond guardrails set up by researchers during both internal and real-world testing.” (09/29/26)
- Will AI Destroy Humanity? There May Be a Bigger Threat
Source: Independent Institute
by Richard K Vedder“Artificial intelligence gets attention, but population decline and humanity’s destructive impulses may pose greater dangers.” (09/28/26)
- Rising, 09/29/26
Source: The Hill
“SNL mocks Tucker Carlson with outdated impression.” (09/29/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/6101140-rising-september-29-2026/
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 09/29/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Why Is The Pentagon Hiding US Iran War Casualties?” (09/29/26)
- Trump Watch, 09/29/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Dismantle the U.S. Empire.” (09/29/26)
- The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 09/29/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Erupts in Wild Panic as GOP Midterm Leaks Grow Urgent: ‘Wipeout.'” (09/29/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/215952/trump-erupts-wild-panic-gop-midterm-leaks-grow-urgent-wipeout
- The Bryan Hyde Show, 09/29/26
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“Eric Peters from Eric Peters Autos joins me for our weekly conversation. We talk about the upcoming midterms and explore other issues impacting our ability to live freely. It’s an exciting time to be a free-thinking individual, to put it mildly.” (09/29/26)
- Receipts, 09/29/26
Source: The Bulwark
“Trump’s War With Canada Has Officially Lost the Plot (w/ Sam Stein).” (09/29/26)
- The Good Fight, 09/29/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Frank Furedi on the Case for Populism.” (09/29/26)
- Film, Literature and the New World Order, 09/29/26
Source: The Corbett Report
“In The Conversation—the 1974 conspiracy thriller/psychodrama from writer/director Francis Ford Coppola—we follow the story of Harry Caul, the greatest surveillance technician in the world.” (09/29/26)
- Radio Atlantic, 09/29/26
Source: The Atlantic
“Republican Candidates Are Running From Trump. Will It Work?” (09/29/26)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/09/ra-midterm-mess/688810
- The Inner Life of Liberalism, episode 6
Source: The Inner Life of Liberalism
“Against the Politics of Cruelty — with Alan Elrod.” (09/28/26)
- Bill Buppert on The Kyle Anzalone Show
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Are the Houthis a Real Threat to Saudi Arabia and the American Empire?” (09/28/26)
- Pink Flame of Liberty, 09/28/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Peak Irony: Jeremy Kauffman and a Voluntary Society/” (09/28/26)
- Ben Lieberman on Freedom Works
Source: Freedom Works
“Ben Lieberman, Competitive Institute ‘diesel export ban.'” (09/29/26)
https://internetradiopros.com/freedomworks/?name=2026-09-29_zfw009252026.mp3
- Real Unity, episode 22
Source: Free the People
“Race to Freedom: Raw Perspectives From a Black Libertarian | Diamond-Michael Scott.” (09/28/26)
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 09/28/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Smotrich: Key To Cleansing Gaza Is ‘Taking Away Hope,’ More US Airstrikes in Somalia, and More.” (09/28/26)
- Reason Roundtable, 09/28/26
Source: Reason
“Trump’s Iran War Is Losing With Everyone (Even Republicans).” (09/28/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/09/28/trumps-iran-war-is-losing-with-everyone-even-republicans/
- EconTalk, 09/28/26
Source: EconLog
“Public Choice and Politics Without Romance (with Mike Munger).” (09/28/26)
https://www.econtalk.org/public-choice-and-politics-without-romance-with-mike-munger/
- Free Speech Unmuted, 09/28/26
Source: Hoover Institution
“Trump Moves to Bar CNN, MS NOW & Politico From the White House Over “Bias” — Sparking Legal Fight.” (09/28/26)
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 09/28/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Republicans Scramble As Midterm Fears Mount.” (09/28/26)
- NPR Politics Podcast, 09/28/26
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“What’s next for the Freedom Caucus?” (09/’28/26)
https://www.npr.org/2026/09/28/nx-s1-5983414/whats-next-for-the-freedom-caucus